Using a System of Least Prompts Procedure to Teach Telephone Skills to Elementary Students with Cognitive Disabilities

• Published in: Journal of behavioral education Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 221 - 236
• Main Authors: Manley, Kelly, Collins, Belva C., Stenhoff, Donald M., Kleinert, Harold
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer Science and Business Media, Inc 01-09-2008; Springer US; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescents; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Cell phones; Child and School Psychology; Children; Children with disabilities; Classrooms; Communication Skills; Community Involvement; Community Relations; Daily Living Skills; Developmental Delays; Direct Instruction; Disabilities; Elementary School Students; Friendship; Generalization; Investigations; Learning and Instruction; Mental Disorders; Mental Retardation; Middle School Students; Middle Schools; Modeling (Psychology); Observational Learning; Original Paper; Peer Relationship; Peer relationships; Prompting; Psychology; Rehabilitation Counseling; Researchers; Retention (Psychology); Skills; Special Education; Special needs students; Students with Disabilities; Task analysis; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Telecommunications; Telephones; Mental disabilities; Errorless instruction; Functional skills; Special education; System of least prompts
• ISSN: 1053-0819; 1573-3513
• DOI: 10.1007/s10864-008-9065-2

Using the telephone to contact others can be an important skill in maintaining friendships with peers. This investigation used a system of least prompts (SLP) procedures to teach two telephone skills to 3 elementary students with cognitive disabilities: (a) placing phone calls and (b) leaving recorded voicemail messages. The SLP procedure was effective in teaching both skills to all 3 students. Results for maintenance and generalization, however, were mixed.